It's the Busiest Time of the Year!

And no....it's not Christmas!

With garden work, keeping up with my fast-growing herbs (harvesting, drying, and crushing), helping out with the welcome bags for the CHEF conference, and preparing for the booth that I will have at the said conference in addition to all of the normal duties of life....the last month and a half or so have been pretty full. Oh, and hockey playoffs...we mustn't forget that! :) I knit during games...further down, I'll post some pictures of what I've been making!

On May 7, I set up a booth at Houston, Missouri's Spring Festival. Here are some pictures:

I should have taken pictures before I started selling. Several things are gone, especially the necklaces...so my display is half empty! I love my new earring display! A friend of mine bought that for me. :) Also, notice that I now have a really nice hand mirror on my table! A nice lady from church bought that for me when she found out that this very essential item in the activity of trying on jewelry was missing from my display at last year's CHEF conference. How sweet! :)

Speaking of the CHEF conference, Jewelry By Jaime will be at this year's conference! It's only 17 days away! Wow...has it been a whole year already? *time flies*

I've been trying to make a variety of new things to sell. To the right are stitch markers for knitting.

To the left is a new necklace using the diamond stitch pattern that I've used several times before and an interesting idea I had for the center dangle. Click on that one to see a bigger picture.

I'm really trying not to get stuck in the same situation that I always seem to....that is, waiting until the last minute to do everything and then end up staying up all night before the morning that we leave. Over the past few days I've completely reorganized my bead boxes (with Ahnnah's help). I didn't plan on doing this, but you know how it goes...you move one thing and then end up moving them all! Also, we're going to be very busy the week before the conference....filling 1200+ bags with 15+ different items that will be handed out to all of the conference attendees. Wow. That's a lot of bags! We don't have a final count on the number of bags yet, or the number of things being put in them. I think that we added another item to the list this morning, though. I'm glad that it has turned out so well! Anything that helps CHEF out with paying for this conference that blesses us so much is time well spent! :)

At the end of April, we had a lot of rain here. We visited a really neat waterfall nearby on the 18th, and then again on the 26th after a whole week of rain. Here are two pictures that I took, one from each visit:

Amazing, isn't it?

Here are some more pictures. You can click on them to see larger images.

Here are some knitting projects that I've finished recently. Click on the images to go to their corresponding Ravelry project pages, where you can see more information and pictures. :)

I actually just finished a second penguin. He's more rotund. :P I think I like him better, too. I don't have a picture of him yet, though.


This is one of my current projects. I love these socks!




I have several more things that I don't have pictures or pages for yet, including lots of baby booties.

I just remembered that in an older post from nearly a year ago, I mentioned a project I was working on that I would post about....and never did. Oops. Here it is. :)

Here's a link to the project page of a second one that Ahnnah and I made together.

I've recently started teaching sign language to a young girl that I know. Tuesday was my first class with her, and I was surprised to see how well she already knew the alphabet. She also learned how to do the song "I Love You Lord" very quickly. It was fun to finally be able to teach sign language to someone. I need to figure out what I'm going to teach her this coming Tuesday. I'm not the type who plans ahead very well...LOL. Lesson plans....what are those?? :P

Ahnnah also now has her very own drawing student. Yay! Speaking of which, here is her latest masterpiece.....I'm amazed. The scan doesn't do it justice....it's simply awesome.
That's Ben Barnes, a.k.a. Prince Caspian.


Ok, I think that's all I've got. Quite enough to last for a while, right? :) It's more than I planned on posting, anyway.

After a Long Disappearance...

Yes, I am still alive...in case you were wondering.
All I have to say for myself is that I do acknowledge that I have a weakness in keeping up with things...perhaps it's tied in with my bad habit of procrastination? I don't know...but there it is - my full confession. Perhaps I'll do better now. I'm granting Lizzy full permission to hold me to it as soon as she's finished throwing her little party.

So, what have I been up to? Lots. If you take a look at my site, you'll see that it's being majorly updated - lots of new stuff! Once I get all of my new things on there, I plan on making a nice banner. It's just plain wrong to have text up there when I love to make pretty graphics. I also noticed that I really need a new blog banner, too.

Knitting - lots of knitting! I always knit when I listen to John MacArthur (you can download his daily radio shows at gty.org) and audio books (LibriVox.org - free audio books that are in the public domain, meaning before 1924). As usual, I'm in the middle of several projects, but I like it that way. I like to do a little bit of one thing, and then change and do a little of another. Once in a while I'll have a project that I do straight through, and usually very quickly. :P Last week, I started and finished both a shawl and a cabled scarf. Right now, my main projects are a set of placemats for my grandma, a triangle lightweight shawl, and a pair of socks. I'm determined to knit a pair that are the correct size. I think I've got the right pattern this time. Pattern writers need to realize that not all women have a medium-sized foot. So many patterns are for women with medium-sized feet....that's not a 9 1/2! I guess I need to learn how to edit a pattern to make it bigger...but I think I'll learn to knit socks better first. :P

Reading. :) Have any of you read Mark Cahill's books? I highly recommend them. One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven and One Heartbeat Away. Check them out at MarkCahill.org.
I'm also reading the gospel of Matthew this month. I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations or study Bibles. We have so many good ones. The Modern King James translation by Jay P. Green is very good, and a recent addition to our library is the "restored" 1599 Geneva Bible that Marshall Foster gave to my Dad (he basically ran his table at the CHEF conference this year, and a few years ago, as well. He's such a nice guy, and has blessed us with wonderful products from his table). My Dad also has John MacArthur's study Bible (a father's day gift from his children) and I have E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible. Today, I read from The Message Bible...a very interesting translation. I think most are familiar with The Message by now? "The Bible in Contemporary Language". Parts of it are translated very well, I think....other parts not so much. :P One passage, in particular, made me laugh today. It's from Matthew 6: "And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?" Ha, ha! I can see it now...God is sitting up in the balcony with his little spy glass watching the Pharisee's on stagereciting their elaborate prayers....um, yeah.

I also like to take walks when the weather allows. Here are some pictures from them:
Exploring the Lake
Old gravel road with a creek (only the first 19 - the others are older)
The old horse stables

Soo...the conference went well this year. I had a table for my jewelry again, and it sold pretty well. However, I managed to get a bad ear infection because of the air conditioner blowing on my all of the first day. That wasn't fun. :( Photos can be seen here. About the time that I got over that, my dog got sick. She's 16. After much worry on my part, she did recover, and is almost her normal self now. :) She doesn't jump anymore, and has some trouble with the stairs. But I can deal with that. I'm so thankful that she was spared to me, because I can't imagine doing without her.

A question for my readers (if I still have any left): For future posts, what would you like to see most? Graphic art from me? Drawings from Ahnnah? Something else? Leave your suggestions in the comments. :)

I guess I'll leave off there. I have a book to pack for Paperback Swap for Mom and it's getting late. Goodnight!

First Lyrics Meme

Hey, how about another tag? :P
This time it's from Margaret at It's A Fine Life.
I'll get to it in a minute...I thought everyone would enjoy a short update on what's been going on in my life. ;)
The highlight of our year is always our annual home-school conference, and this year's was last week. This one was by far the best one yet. I do plan on posting about it, hopefully sometime soon. ;) That was Monday through Wednesday. We got home a few minutes before midnight...
The Sunday before was spent preparing to leave early on Monday morning. It was really late when I got to bed on Sunday since I had so much to do...I got a call on Saturday afternoon asking if I'd like to have a table in the vendor hall to sell my jewelry - free of charge! Thursday was spent cleaning up the mess that I left from preparing, and from Friday until now I've been sick. And this time I can't blame it on Danny...:P During periods when I wasn't too ill to think clearly I was corresponding with a few people who ordered custom items at the conference. :)
So, there you have it...a short update. :)

Also, I'd like to ask you all to pray for Lizzy, who is not feeling well right now. You can read a little more on the subject at the bottom of this post on her mother's blog. Thank you. :)

~*~*~

Now for the tag. :D

Put your music library on shuffle. Post the first lines of the first 25 songs that come up. (Skip over songs where the first line contains the title, songs in languages you can’t order a drink in, and exceptionally mumbley (my spell-checker says that's not a word :P) singer-songwriters {And instrumentals}.) The game: Guess which songs the first lines are from! Google=cheating.

1. The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight/Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time...

2. I know this tension that you speak of/We're in the palm of a hand making a fist...

3. We’re sending out a message to the future/That words could not communicate...

4. Thought that I could hide/Oh how I've wasted time/I spent my life running from You...

5. You break the glass/Try to hide your face/Recorded lines that just will not erase...

6. A beautiful and blinding morning/The world outside begins to breathe...

7. I've got my memories/Always inside of me...

8. The fight is over now, the bright lights turned somehow/The strength I have is running out, the current pulls me down...

9. Wash away the thoughts inside/That keep my mind away from you...

10. Has everything you’ve counted on left you right here with no warning?

11. This time, This place/Misused, Mistakes...

12. Did you think you were immune to this/Did you think you could escape without infection...

13. Is my imagination running away or is all this really happening to me?/Am I a prince in a far-away land filled with fantasy?

14. You might think that you'll never be the one to save the day/Or do anything that matters in the world...

15. I could see Snow-covered hills/You were walking, I was standing still...

16. I am all around you and I see everywhere you see/I am everything you believe...

17. All these places I have been/All these faces I have seen...

18. There's no need to say a thing when I'm before You/In this silence I feel refreshed with peace...

19. I used to rule the world/Seas would rise when I gave the word...

20. Face down with the LA curbside endings/With the ones and zeros...

21. We should get jerseys/Cause we make a good team/But yours would look better than mine/Cause you're out of my league...

22. Every tree and every stone/Every rushing wind that moans...

23. Time moves slowly while you're gone/I haven't heard your voice in quite some time...

24. Do you dream that the world will know your name/So tell me your name...

25. Can we get back to where we started?/When creation lived peacefully in Your hands...

I tag:

Whoever sees this and feels like being tagged. ;)

Of Birthdays and Satellites...

Ok...long time, no post. LOL. Well, not that long, compared to previous times. :P

But lots of things have been going on.

Last weekend, my brother and I had a birthday. Anyone who reads Lizzy's blog knows that already, though. ;) Or, at least, you know that I had a birthday. I actually share my birthday with my younger brother. I like it that way. :) I can't even imagine what it's like to have my own birthday...I only had one, and that was my 1st, which I don't remember. :P

Mom and Dad got us an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (yum!). You would think that they'd choose icing for the lettering that matched the icing already on the cake...

Yes, a red, white & blue cake with neon blue and yellow lettering!
Well, at least they spelled my name right. The past couple of years they didn't...
But, with a name that's not spelled the 'common' way, you get used to it.

Let's see...what else can I tell my dear readers? :)

I've been sick since Thursday evening...I can't even remember the last time I felt as miserable as I did on Friday. *Glares at Danny* :P Yes, it's his fault. LOL. But we won't dwell on that. It's not a very pleasant subject...

My sister and I have been choosing projects out of my bead magazines to make. We've done two so far, each taking a few days to complete. The first is probably my favourite bracelet that I've made so far. :D It took a long time to link all of the rings together. I'm going to get the supplies that I need to make another one. This time with 2 colours of blue crystals, smaller rings around the edges (but the same size for the centre rings), and rather than alternating the crystal colours as I did in the one pictured, I'll stack the crystals of the same colour, one on top of the other so that they match. I'm not sure if any of you will understand that...but there it is. :P I'll post a picture when it's done...whenever that will be. I'm not sure when I'll get the bead store next, so it may be a while. Or I may just order the stuff online...I don't know yet. :P

The second project we did was a bracelet using the Russian Snake Stitch (a variation of the daisy chain). This took a while because there are three steps that you go through stitching seed beads together, which is very time-consuming. But I really enjoy this type of work, so it was fun. :) I should have taken a picture after each step was completed (I will next time). Really, we could have stopped after any of the steps and ended up with a really neat bracelet. :P

The highlight of this week, though, came last night. We now have satellite Internet! *Does a happy dance* It's awesome! For those of you who didn't know, we had dial-up (for 10 years!). Living in a rural area, most ways of getting high speed Internet aren't available. But now we finally have it, and it's so nice! :D

What we do when it's nice outside...

We've had a couple of nice days in a row here weather-wise. The humidity level finally came down today. :) I began re-staining our front porch today. I got about 1/3 of it done. I'll probably end up going back out tomorrow evening, and Thursday evening to finish it. This will be the 3rd time we've had to stain it since we built it 8 years ago. I'll bet that was a very interesting tidbit for you all to read, LOL. :P

Yesterday morning we went out and got some very-much-needed weeding done. Ahnnah came across a little ring-necked snake. We have lots of them here.

Even more exciting news: My Hollyhocks are blooming! Two different colours of pink ones have opened so far. I know I have some purple ones planted too. I love my Hollyhocks. They're so pretty. :D

And check out this awesome sunset from a few nights ago!

We have a kingdom of ants in our yard. See all of the brown...those are all ant hills. It's probably a good two feet wide and 4 feet long.

There's also a birds' nest on our patio. The same birds come back to it every year. There are baby birds in it now. I'm working on getting a picture of them. it's so high up that you can't see them from the ground. But I did get a picture of the mother bird when she flew into a nearby tree. :)

We also had a turtle decide to cut through our garden a few days ago...

I guess that's all for now. :) Oh, btw, if you click on these pictures, you can see bigger versions of them. ;)

Bathroom Makeover

We put up new wallpaper in out basement's bathroom on Sunday, and on Monday my sister and I redecorated it. I decided that an ocean theme would be nice. :) So we made a couple of wall hangings using paper ribbon and seashells that I collected on the beach when I went to Florida in '98. :D

Being fond of jigsaw puzzles, we have covered a couple of walls in our basement with puzzles that we have completed and glued. :P One of them was an ocean view with a lighthouse on it that matched the colors in the bathroom well, so I 'jazzed' it up with some paper ribbon and hung it on the wall. The other thing in the photo (I have no clue what to call it :P A fan? A broom? LOL) is something that Mom thought looked nice in there.

Lastly, I put some more of my Florida shells in a basket to set in there, and hung a framed picture of a stream (though it's not the ocean, it's still water. :P Mom chose it.) with a Bible verse on it that we took from an old calendar. :)

It looks so nice! It's a shame that it's the boys' bathroom! :P Mom said that we could decorate ours now, if we want to...so I guess we'll be working on that soon! :)